Arche's Decision
by Fera V
Summary: When you're a half elf witch skinny dipping in a warm summer pond, you really should be careful of what you wish for...


**Arche's Decision**

**_Foreword_**_: Hello! Me again, this time with a much smaller ficlet, one centered around the little half elf we all know and love. It's a bit different to the usual romances, and has some slightly melancholy overtones. However, they are balanced by a surplus helping of Arche/Klarth banter. I swear, the personalities of those two are perfect for sarcastic conversations._

_Anyway, I know I vowed never to write about ToP again after Aselia's Queen (that story was so long it almost killed me); but it was just too tempting. Voila, my friends, read and enjoy – and don't forget to review_

Beneath two shady trees growing out of a small pond's banks, sat a rose-haired elven girl, quietly contemplating something. Her locks blew about her face as she seemed to tense, then relax, dangling her bare feet in the water.

The day was warm and she was hot. Deciding that a swim would be a great idea, the elven female briskly removed her clothing, hanging the slightly sweat-stained garments up on a tree branch.

She was unperturbed by her nakedness, since she knew her companions were far away, many miles and years separated them from her. A tear rolled down her cheek, landing on parched ground. How she missed them…

With a sigh, the elf sank into pristine water, finally cooling down. A few fish swam away from her, and she felt truly alone.

If only…

No. She dived deep into the water, trying to shake off treacherous thoughts.

_If only…___

The thought refused to go away, pulling at her like a bloodthirsty leech.

If only she had kissed him then…

Resurfacing, she gasped in a huge breath of air.

If only she had told him how much she admired his courage, his bravery…

But she hadn't.

And now he was far, far away.

Suddenly, the elf frowned in contemplation. She knew a person that could help her, a person that lived relatively close by…

The pond was so enticing though, on that boiling summer day, she didn't really want to get out of it yet.

"Klarth! I wish I could see you without getting out of this bliss." She said loudly instead, knowing her words were left unheard and unanswered.

How wrong she was.

Behind her sounded a sudden loud noise, one that resembled an explosion and when she turned around to see exactly what it was, a bright burst of light dazzled her.

"Damn it, I _wish_ this thing would stop malfunctioning!" A familiar voice cursed vehemently.

The elf simply stared at the figure that had appeared so suddenly out of nowhere.

Had the heat caused her to hallucinate?

"Stupid piece of shit, I have just spent _one entire month_ working on you and you refuse to adjust!" the man all but shouted at something he held in his hand.

Then, when his anger seemed to have subsided a fraction, he glanced up and stepped back.

"Oh, hello Arche."

Arche, who was still extremely bewildered, murmured "Hi Klarth."

"You must excuse my foul mood, I've been trying to weave some of the Eternal Blade's magic into this talisman here, so it would transport me to certain locations quickly."

After a slight pause, he grinned.

"Wouldn't it be nice if I could visit towns like Alvanista with a mere snap of my fingers? I mean, honestly, all Euclid has is those bad musicians for entertainment."

Arche stared. Klarth turned back to the talisman.

"But the stupid piece of crap tends to act on its own accord and I end up being transported to all sorts of random places… such as this pond."

Klarth just stood there, merely looking slightly annoyed, as if appearing out of nowhere was a perfectly ordinary experience.

Abruptly, he frowned.

"Maybe the talisman is drawn to other magic. You are a witch after all…"

Arche wiped her hair out of her face as an idea dawned on her and it lit up with excitement.

"Klarth! I know!"

"What, what do you know?"

"Well, minutes ago, I decided I wished you were here."

"Ah, that must be it. I was holding the talisman and your magic must have somehow caused it to react."

Raising his eyebrows, he continued:

"May I ask exactly why you wished me to be here?"

"What?"

Klarth laughed, hand on one hip and tapped his chin, giving her a sidelong glance.

"Well, it seems extremely interesting that you wish for me while swimming naked…"

"Uh." Arche's face reached a before impossible to attain shade of red as she sank lower into the water.

Meanwhile, Klarth kept on talking, unfazed. If any of her other friends had been in his place, they would most certainly be embarrassed. But no, not Klarth.

"I am a married man now, you know. No more one-night-affairs for me. I still don't mind admiring the beauty of the female body, but I very faithful to my dear Mirald."

A pause.

"Well, quite faithful, anyway. That waitress came on to me. I had no intention…"

"I understand, Klarth." Arche cut his rambling off.

"Good. So do you prefer to continue this conversation clothed?"

Arche mentally slapped herself. She'd been so stunned by his appearance that she kept forgetting how she looked. Luckily, the water where she stood wasn't very clear, now that she had tossed up some silt.

"Could you please turn around?" she mumbled.

"Certainly!" Still laughing at her, Klarth seated himself behind a rock and continued tinkering with the talisman.

While he did this, Arche dashed out of the water and donned her clothing, trying to convince herself that the unexpected reunion wasn't a complete embarrassment.

"All dressed, I see." Klarth looked up as she sat down opposite him, "Don't elves use towels?"

"Not in this heat."

"Hm. Anyway, let's get to the point. What do you really want me for? Probably not for dinner-for-two, since I know where your heart lies!"

"Oh…" Arche bit her lip. Would he laugh at her? Probably.

"Spit it out, we have no secrets." Klarth smiled warmly, then swore when he looked at the talisman, "Why is it going red-"

"Well, the thing is, Klarth, I want to go to the future."

"Aha, I see now, to have a little date with Chester?"

Despite the tension she felt a while ago, Arche relaxed. This was Klarth, he was one of her closest friends, he would help her.

"Close guess, but not quite. I just really want to go to Miguel, even if it only is for a couple of minutes." There was a whiny note in Arche's voice.

Crosslegged, Klarth leaned his head on one hand and immersed himself in contemplation, leaving Arche to wait anxiously.

"I do not want to use the Eternal Blade again to time travel; it's been used enough already and I wouldn't wish to be responsible for screwing up the time channels but…"

Arche clenched her hands together to keep them from shaking, while hoping for a solution to effortlessly come out of Klarth's lips.

"If we get the talisman to work… fueled by your magic it just _may_ transport you into this future for about half an hour. I have already successfully used it to move myself back in time twice or thrice. But with magic, I think there are no limits to what it can do. I mean, it's much weaker than the Eternal Sword, but I expect it will work. Is that good enough?"

Arche all but ran up and hugged him out of pure joy.

"That's great!" she jumped up and down.

"Don't get too excited now, there's no guarantee this will be a success." Klarth cautioned her.

Yet nothing would stop a determined Arche.

"Let's try it."

"Now sit here and hold the talisman close to your chest." Klarth murmured, directing Arche to sit in the middle of a seven pointed star.

When he was thoroughly satisfied with how everything was set up, he continued.

"Listen to me carefully: first of all, for the talisman to work you must gather all your magic and send it into the rock, while at the same time visualizing the place you want to go to in your mind. Understood?"

Arche nodded.

"Good. Now secondly – once you're there, your presence will be almost ghostlike, because the talisman isn't strong enough yet to fully teleport a person through an amount of time that vast. You will also have about twenty-thirty minutes to do whatever you need to do there. And lastly…"

He stopped still, quitting his pacing and gave her a serious gaze.

_I will be communicating with you like so, so you won't overstay your welcome_, he whispered into her mind.

Jumping up, Arche gasped: "How?"

He nodded at the talisman in response.

"Through that."

"Oh."

"Let's start."

He seated himself opposite Arche, on the very edges of the star and met her look with a calm and collected expression. Meanwhile, Arche's heart was beating faster and faster with excitement.

"Gather all your magic and channel it into the talisman while thinking of Miguel."

"Yes." Arche whispered, thinking of the tall, unkempt grass blowing about the old buildings, the worn pebblestones and the serene pond.

"Be quiet and concentrate." Klarth ordered. "Now, channel all of those thoughts into the stone. Imagine the stone in your mind and push the thoughts, so they sink in it. You should then feel like you're moving…"

He didn't need to finish that sentence because Arche was already traveling through time, amazed and astounded at the talisman's power.

Softly, she felt her feet placed on the ground, falling down because of the dizziness that hit her straight after.

_You have twenty minutes_, Klarth instructed.

"I know, I know."

Looking around, she saw that it was night time. Ah well, she didn't mind. As long as…

Hurrying to the familiar house, Arche saw the signs of repair. As she put her hand on the doorknob, she gasped when it slid through.

"What? I'm… A ghost?"

But she did not have much time, so Arche quickly slipped through the walls, until…

Until…  
She entered his room.

It was in complete disarray. Even in the faint light of the burning candle, she could see shining weapons and books strewn all around the chamber. Crumpled clothes lay in a mess around the bed.

In which he slept.

Trying not to give in to her heart's quickening rhythm, Arche approached it, smiling at the familiar face than came into view. Without his weaponry and armor, he looked angelic, defenseless and vulnerable.

Silently, Arche made a sign of protection above his head. He would be safe.

Frowning slightly, he stirred, mumbling something in his sleep.

How she adored everything about him… but…

Should she tell him? Arche found herself wanting to wake him up. And yet – how would that change things? She would still have to go back to the past and he…

Besides, he had friends that loved him dearly, some maybe even more than herself.

Carefully, she brushed his hair away from his face, delighting at the fact that her fingers seemed to have solidified. She leant down to kiss his cheek, doing so with a gentleness she had not known she possessed.

Then, because she couldn't resist his lips, she kissed them lightly but tenderly and got off his bed.

She sighed.

"You may never even realize what happened, but I do love you. We've been through so much; we've been so close. Yet now the veil of time separates us."

Arche struggled to speak as her throat tightened.

"There is someone who loves you more. Stay with her. She deserves you."

Shifting onto his back, the young man half opened his eyes, squinting at her.

"…Arche?"

She leaned down and stroked his hair.

"Sleep now. Build Miguel. You belong here."

_And I don't_. She bit her lip.

"…Great friend… I… really like you."

He liked her. She was a great friend. Arche held back the tears.

"I like you too."

He closed his eyes again and she turned around, forcing herself to part with someone she would not see for a century.

"I like you very, very much."

Gripping the talisman that had hung around her neck in her hand, she visualized the pond, casting her mind back into the past.

_That's it, you're doing great._ Klarth urged her. _Now concentrate, channel your magic…_

She did so, with a last look at the bedroom, and felt the weightlessness of time slip by, swirling past her as she cut through it.

Arche opened her eyes again by the sunny pond and yawned, starching out her limbs.

"How was it?" Klarth asked, carefully taking the talisman from her hands.

"Oh, it was fine. Just… _fine_."

"I see. I'm glad the talisman works. Maybe it's not that useless after all." He smiled, placing the object in his pocket.

"Yeah, it works well." Arche got up too, scratching her head.

"Arche, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm fine." Arche did not succeed at brushing his remark away. Narrowing his eyes, the summoner gripped her by the shoulders.

"No, something is wrong, and you will tell me." Tilting his head to one side, he continued: "Did you have a fight with Chester?"

"NO!" Arche gasped, astounded. "_No_. No, I didn't."

"All right then. Now what is the problem?"

"Klarth, do you need to be so inquisitive all the time?" Arche squirmed with annoyance under his scrutiny.

"Yes," he said firmly, "now pour your heart out."

Arche wanted to protest, but tears got the better of her. Startling Klarth immensely, she started bawling.

"Arche! _... the hell_?!" she didn't hear half his words as sobs racked her body.

Klarth's strong arms enveloped her, he patted her back.

"What happened there? Wh-"

"Shut up, Klarth." Suddenly, a sense of calm had descended upon her. Wiping her cheeks, she coolly explained.

"I have just made a very important decision. I have chosen to let go. I have placed the happiness of my friends above my own contentment."

She drew in a deep and slightly ragged breath.

"And I wept out of relief, not sorrow."

To her surprise, Klarth did not roll his eyes or mutter anything about hormones. Instead he gave her a warm, genuine smile and let go.

"Welcome to adulthood, young woman."

Arche smiled back: "It's a new world."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm listening."

"Could you give me a lift home?"

"Can you handle a broom?"

"Let's hope I fly better than I sweep."

Soaring through the air, Arche kept her balance, the years of practice rendering her a skilled flyer. Klarth, meanwhile, hung on gripping the broom tightly, trying his best not to fall off.

"I can see why you like the thrill of flight!" he shouted into her ear.

The excitement and joy she always felt at that altitude overcoming her again, Arche soared.

"I love it!"

"May I ask you another question?"

"Sure, go on!"

"What was your decision?" Klarth wondered as they flew through a cloud.

Bright afternoon sun shining on her face, Arche answered with a voice that bore no regret: "I chose Chester."


End file.
